Agriculture Shorts

Walmart announced the opening of a 300,000-plus sq. ft., state-of-the-art facility in Olathe, Kansas, which will package and distribute angus cuts sourced directly from Sustainable Beef in North Platte. Walmart is an investor in Sustainable Beef . . . The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition from the Iowa Pork Producers Association to review California's animal welfare law, Proposition 12. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last year rejected the organization's constitutional challenge to the law . . . The Supreme Court also asked for the Trump administration's view on whether it should take up Bayer AG's appeal of lawsuits blaming Roundup for cancer . . . The Renewable Fuels Association said U.S. ethanol exports in May equaled 184.7 million gallons, up 7%, while exports of distillers grains rose 3% . . . Farmer sentiment weakened in June according to the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. The barometer dropped 12 points from the previous month to 146. A drop in optimism about future agricultural exports weighted on producers' outlook.